Gaetano Settimo

Two-Years of Fine and Ultrafine Particles Measurements in Rome, Italy

Long-term aerosol measurements have been conducted at two sites in Rome, Italy, April 2001 through March 2003, in a traffic-oriented site, and at an urban background site, close to the city center. The main objective was to establish validated and consistent data sets of particle number concentrations (PNC) in Rome to be used for epidemiological analyses of cardiovascular health effects. Particle number concentrations were measured by a condensation particle counter (CPC 3022A, TSI). Other pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, NO, NOx, O3) were simultaneously measured at the traffic-oriented site. During the study period, the mean (standard deviation) 24-h PNC values were 4.69 × 104 (1.99 × 104) cm−3 and 2.46 × 104 (1.10 × 104) cm−3, respectively, at the traffic-oriented site and at the urban background site. Mean (standard deviation) 24-h mass concentration of PM2.5 was 23.1 (11.9) μg m−3, while for PM10 it was 41.3 (17.9) μg m−3. Higher values for all the pollutants, except ozone, were recorded during the winter period in comparison with the summer period, and a higher variability of the results was also observed during cold months. The comparison between the daily PNC measured at the two sites showed a good correlation (r = .74). CO (r = .77), NO (r = .82), and NOX (r = .83) were all highly correlated with PNC (simultaneous obs. number 576). The diurnal and seasonal pattern of PNC can be attributed to the combined effect of motor vehicle emissions and meteorological conditions.

Incense, sparklers and cigarettes are significant contributors to indoor benzene and particle levels

INTRODUCTION The increased use of incense, magic candles and other flameless products often produces indoor pollutants that may represent a health risk for humans. Today, in fact, incense and air fresheners are used inside homes as well as in public places including stores, shopping malls and places of worship. As a source of indoor contamination, the impact of smoke, incense and sparklers on human health cannot be ignored. AIM In the present work, we report the results of an emission study regarding particles (PM10 and particle number concentration, PNC) and benzene, produced by various incense sticks and sparklers. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results obtained for benzene, PM10 and PNC, showed a strong negative influence on air quality when these products were used indoors. Various incense sticks gave completely different benzene results: from a small increase of the benzene concentration in the air, just slightly above the background levels of ambient air, to very high concentrations, of more than 200 µg/m of benzene in the test room after the incense sticks had been tested.

Indoor Air Quality in Healing Environments: Impacts of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Environmental Factors on Users

Starting from the definition of confined spaces, the paper examines the indoor air quality in healing environments that must be promoters of health and well-being for all the users. In fact, as several authors stated, the main factors of air pollution are bacteria, substances used for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, odors generated by cleaning and maintenance products, disinfectants, heating systems, ventilation and air-conditioning, building materials, furniture and finishing, as well as the outdoor environment. Moreover, hospitals incorporate a variety of risks that can be divided into physical risks that determinate alteration of well-being or thermal discomfort of users, caused by inadequate microclimatic parameters; chemical risks caused by the contaminations of toxic, harmful, or carcinogenic substances; and biological risks caused by contamination of qualitatively and/or quantitatively inadequate microorganisms. According to the different risks that may occur in a healthcare facility, the paper examines also the role of management and risk assessment on these issues, analyzing the people involved and responsibilities that hospital managers must fulfill to ensure health quality and safety.

Atmospheric depositions of persistent pollutants: methodological aspects and values from case studies

Deposition monitoring, already in use by government control organizations of various countries, contributes to an important increase in experimental knowledge on pollutant deposition fluxes, on their environmental fate and on the possible effects on human health.At the European level, the necessity to consider with extreme attention the environmental contamination due to deposition, has brought to adopt a series of legislative measures and recommendations; this has contributed to set up environmental surveillance systems and monitoring campaigns for a series of pollutants which may accumulate in the environment as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and for metals.More recently, with DL.vo 155/2010, the necessity to consider, in the development of monitoring stations, the possibility to detect also data on deposition rates which represent a non-direct exposure of the population through the food chain. For sampling the Decree considers only two types of depositions: for total deposition (bulk and Bergerhoff) and wet only deposition.

An approach to study health effects of environmental contamination from oil refineries in a longitudinal perspective

Phthalates are organic lipophilic compounds which are mainly used as plasticizer in plastic polymers. Human exposure occurs mainly via food intake and can cause a wide range of negative health effects. Phthalates are not only present in food because of environmental contamination, but also as a result of migration from contact materials. This study investigated phthalates in cow milk in order to determine the contamination pathways at farm level. The levels of eight phthalates were determined in raw milk samples collected during summer and winter at five farms located in ‘The Kempen’ (Belgium). Both manually obtained milk samples as milk samples milked by machine were collected. Analysis was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The analysis of the milk samples milked by machine revealed a difference in average total phthalate level between the summer and the winter sampling period (572 versus 379 µg/kg fat). While the total phthalate levels of the different farms during winter were nearly of similar magnitude (291-587 µg/kg fat), a wide range could be observed during summer (95-1550 µg/kg fat). Comparing milk samples within a farm, lower total phthalate levels were found in the milk samples milked by hand than those by machine (100 versus 179 µg/kg fat). Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate which is the most commonly used plasticizer worldwide, was the most dominating one (79 % of the total concentration in milk from the central collecting tank). The results indicate that the contamination pathways for phthalates in cow milk vary across seasons. An explanation therefore is that the feed composition is different during summer than during winter. In summer, cows are grazing in the fields where an extra phthalate contamination can occur via soil ingestion. Comparing the milk samples milked by hand with those by machine reveals that the milking equipment is another important contamination pathway.The International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) is an international organization with almost 1000 members from more than 60 countries. The annual international conference brings together many members and non-members and provides an excellent forum for the discussion of problems and benefits related to the environment and human health. Specific themes for the 23rd Annual Conference include: Sustainable transport and health: Impact of transport on health and approaches to reduce health impacts, Impact of climate change: from water scarcity to Saharan dust episodes, Early exposure - later life: in utero and early life exposures and effects in later life, New methods and technologies.Background and Aims: Phthalates are used in many industrial and consumer products. High-molecular-weight phthalates are primarily used as plasticizers to soften PVC products, while low-molecular-weight phthalates are widely used as solvents to hold colour and scent in products. Phthalates have been detected in food and also measured in humans. This study investigated phthalates in food products on the Belgian market in order to explore possible contamination pathways. Methods: 650 Representative samples of widely consumed foods were purchased in Belgian shops. The levels of eight phthalates were determined and product specific properties were stored in a database. This database was used to explore the contamination pathways by identifying relations between sample properties (e.g. fat content, pH and packaging) and measured phthalate concentrations. Results: The results of the measurement campaign show a wide variety of phthalate concentrations in the food samples. Concentrations are higher in high-fat food products like butter, oil and cheese compared to low-fat food products, like vegetables and juices. Higher phthalate concentrations were also detected in some cardboard packed food, probably due to migration from inks and glues. Aluminium inner package seems to be a good barrier for migration. A wide range of phthalate levels in bread was found and further research is necessary. Conclusions: A wide variety in phthalate concentration was found. The fat content of the food product, the composition of the food as well as the composition and properties of the packaging material have been identified as possible contamination causing conditions. In a next phase of this study, we will use these data to quantify the dietary intake of phthalates for the Belgian population.

ATMOSPHERIC BULK DEPOSITION OF CARCINOGENIC PAHS IN A RURAL AREA IN SOUTHERN ITALY

The bulk depositions of seven carcinogenic PAHs were investigated by collecting two monthly samples at seven sites. Deposition rates of individual PAHs ranged 2–89 ng/m2/d (BaP, 2–7 ng/m2/d), in agreement with the few available rates previously measured at background European sites. On six days, air samples were also collected at three sites and resulted in mean particle-bound BaP ranging 0.01–0.04 ng/m3. The ratios between the concentrations of each PAH and BaP in the deposition samples were significantly higher than those in the air samples. To investigate if an on-sampler BaP degradation during a 1-month sampling period could generate a measurable artefact, a test was carried out by two co-located samplers collecting, respectively, one continuous 5-week sample and five weekly samples. No difference in PAH profiles was found among the samples collected by the two samplers. The occurrence of PAH profiles different from those commonly found in air may affect the validity of the BaP-marker approach in risk assessment for deposition samples.

Indoor Air Quality in Healthcare Facilities

Foreword: Improving the Hospitals Indoor Air Quality -- Indoor Air Quality in Healing Environments: Impacts of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Environmental Factors on Users -- Existing Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: The Case Study of Hospital Environments -- Applications of IAQ Monitoring in International Healthcare Systems -- Hospital Environments and Epidemiology of Healthcare-Associated Infections -- Analysis of Microorganisms in Hospital Environments and Potential Risks -- Legionella Indoor Air Contamination in Healthcare Environments -- Environmentally Friendly and Low-Emissivity Construction Materials and Furniture -- HVAC System Design in Healthcare Facilities and Control of Aerosol Contaminants: Issues, Tools, and Experiments -- HVAC Management in Health Facilities -- Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Inpatient Wards -- Perspectives of Air Quality Control in Healthcare Facilities: Conclusions -- Index.

Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Inpatient Wards

Introduction. The Indoor Air Quality is a topic that in recent years is obtaining great attention in healthcare facilities. Several studies are reporting a growing number of data and research works that allow to know all the possible indoor levels and the development of management procedures (such as materials’ choice, products for cleaning and disinfection, improvement of HVAC system, etc.) in order to improve the healing environments and health of medical and technical staffs, patients, ambulatory users and visitors. Ensuring a good IAQ in hospitals is fundamentally because there are the most vulnerable category of the population for their health conditions; although the assessment of IAQ results arduous.

Existing Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: The Case Study of Hospital Environments

In recent years, indoor air quality (IAQ) became a primary issue that needs more and more focus because of the increasing number of exposed population. The paper reports the current state of the art of several European countries about indoor air quality, focusing on the initiatives performed in Italy to respond to WHO recommendations. Even EU underlines the priority of energy efficiency strategies, at the same time recommends to reach healthier indoor environments and to develop a specific European strategy on IAQ. Currently, several European Union (EU) countries have introduced in their legislation the rules related to IAQ; in Italy, there is not any reference-specific rule around these topics. The paper analyses the scientific literature, the WHO guidelines and also the ISO, CEN and UNI suggestions, norms and guidelines by other European countries and/or other standard values, such as limit or reference values regarding outdoor air, for better understanding the current framework. Since many years, problems from exposure to indoor air pollutants have been a matter of concern for national as well as EU legislators, and an increasing number of states have been addressing the need for policies regarding health and strategy through specific studies. The EU has often addressed the importance to measure and assess IAQ, the relative impact on health and possible recommendation regarding future measures.